Completely agree - having a clean car changes my psychology and experience of the car - especially when you do it yourself. I think getting in there, makes you appreciate the design of the car as you focus on every panel as you clean it. 🤓
I agree. I had a 2002 Golf GT TDI with 150,000 miles (240,000 km) on the clock. I bought it as a daily and I did pretty much exactly the same to it as in this video and I fell in love with it. I put on about 60,000 miles (96,000 km) and it never missed a beat. Even now I still reckon it is the best car I have owned.
Agree three. Having on older car that presents well with polished paint on the road demands respect. It tells a subconscious message that the driver has pride, motivation, and passion.
Yup, after the full feature video I'll give it a crack. So long as the engine bay looks respectable I usually don't worry too much - they get dusty pretty quick if the car is driven daily.
@@MotoringBoxTV Exactly, they do get dirty and dusty real quick. I just clean under the bonnet where I work. It eventually gets clean. :) Plus there's no danger of introducing new gremlins by blasting water everywhere under there.
My car mantra is simple, keep it well polished, use it, get it filthy, clean it afterwards it's easy to keep it looking smick. A clean the engine however sounds alarm bells. Clean paint, clean interior, dirty engine, that's what I need to see. I'll never buy a dirty car or a clean engine, unless it's cheap, dirt cheap (pun intended)
Love this! You don’t have to chrisfix it with everything. Sometimes you can cheap out and get amazing results. And honestly with a daily driver like this, you’re not gonna worry tooo much about introducing scratches.
I think there's something great about doing things that are within reach of the average person. We don't all have workshops, hoists or a full suite of tools and equipment.
Another terrific video mate. I just went through a similar process after buying my Daughter her first car. I used Mother’s mag wheel polish with a buffer pad on a hand drill to rejuvenate the headlights. Worked a treat 😎
I absolutely love your videos! Seeing older Australian cars like this brought back to their former glory is always great. Being on the opposite side of the world, I can really appreciate your efforts to preserve classic Aussie motors! Well done!!
Amazing vid, so appreciative to see someone meaningfully add to Australian car culture it was sad enough to see Holden go in 2016, but soon enough these vehicles will be replaced with noiseless electric garbage, I will show these videos to my grandkids and reminisce on the days of high octane, rev limiter, single pegging fun.
I think the new Honda e looks pretty amazing. I'm definitely living in the past here with these cars, but I do love the way they remind you of simpler times every time you jump behind the wheel.
Fuck me dead your videos are quick, easy and appeal to the masses and don't scare people away like some other 20 minute videos Good job man, absolutely love the amount of effort in these videos yet casual feel. You are a people pleaser!
I've done this procedure to almost every car I've ever owned. Nowadays because me and my friends have a garage, we've acquired a pressure washer, foam lance and orbital polisher there which make the job easier and quicker. It usually takes about 8-10 hours for me to do a 2-step paint polish and wax when starting from a dirty car. After that, upkeeping the paintwork is super easy! By the way, a long lasting, super shiny and extremely easy paint sealant (a.k.a synthetic wax) i like to use is called Soft99 Fusso Coat. It takes about 15-20 minutes to apply and buff the whole car.
Yup, there's definitely ways to step up your game exactly like what you've done! I have a pressure washer too but I rarely pull the thing out of the shed because of the extra effort.
MotoringBox so have I. I wanted for 10 years after they first come out and had to wait until prices were survivable before buying one. Now that I have one, I’ll never sell it. They were ahead of their time with their factory GPS and limo feel
nice job, a practical demo on how to get a great result without spending a shitload of coin.. i was amazed at the difference the first time i clayed and waxed a car, its about time i clayed my cars again i reckon.. oh, and its great therapy!
Yup, if you've got the time it's a great way to spend an afternoon. I did my AU around 9 months ago and it still looks fantastic. So probably a once a year job if done right!
Went over my Stinger tonight. Cars get really dirty quickly in Victoria and given its a dark blue, it gets a regular bath. Looks great when it’s clean. Keep the vids coming...entertaining...
MotoringBox ....yes, they’re a great car. Mine is the GT 3.3TT and I bought it pre-owned but fully optioned. Well used already, it’s done across Australia and back. Lot of nellies to buy, but I don’t regret it. Enjoy your videos and all the best to you up there in the Sunshine State...
You usually reply to every single comment with a personal touch to what the commenter has commented. A lot of RU-vidrs just reply the same reply to their viewers, even if they have asked a question. You're a awesome RU-vidr and I'm loving your videos. Hanging out for the next one! Car looks an absolute treat 👍 👍 Is this your full time job, or do you have another occupation?
Hey thanks a lot mate. I do try to reply to everyone, it can get a little crazy though when one of the videos goes viral. This is definitely not my full time job at the moment, but it would be awesome in the future if I could devote more time to it.
Awesome work! Ive done similar with my VS acclaim but have not given the clay bar or drill polish method a go (just used a microfibre cloth by hand for the wax on wax off... Sweaty work). I also feel at ease that someone else out there washes and buffs their 20+yo commodore 😉. Are you going to have a crack at cleaning under the hood? Look forward to that haha Im keen to do it
I went to the Beenleigh distillery here in Brisbane last weekend and found an Australian car club were there. Mostly Fords, FPVs and a few commodores. Was nice to see a bunch of Australian cars and reminded me that I once had an ef Ford Fairmont. I don't think My e39 BMW m sport looked out I place in the sea of rear wheel drive sedans.
this was a really good vid mate as im on a really tight budget as im getting my 1st Calais in future needed all the good tips id can get on car care thiswas really good for me im really pleased these vid was for us disabled drivers who liked nicer cars we can care for the nicer cars as im getting one myself in futuee as i liked the Holden Calais sedans as mines was getting was a larter versions of this car mate as i knew thiswass the case for me im really looking forwards togetting my 1st ever Holden Calais with leather seats as this car willbe towing my boats in future this why im forever learning alot on car care in future thiswas really my good hope was to learn to care for my 1st Holden Calais seats these was the leather seats in the car i'll get in future thiswas my first car mate im gotten alot of good info from this vid mate as thiswas really good mate
@@MotoringBoxTV this was true mate as i liked the Calais cars as they are my good cars mate really good cars with the leater seats was my pick for my 1st car mate
Another great video mate, well done. When it comes to a daily, it's more about the method than the product. Highlight for me was the clay bar and polish of the windscreen - this is something people should try to do twice a year.
@@MotoringBoxTV BTW, next video showing detailing engine bay would be awesome!! Autobarn have 303 Aerospay Protectant on sale for $15 for a small bottle or $22 for a bigger bottle.
Great job, and yes i agree with cleaning up ya old car and fall back in love with it. My one pick on bit with ya detail is you missed polishing the chrome exhaust tip
What you saw is how it was done! My methods have been called 'dodgy' by pro detailers, and I guess it probably is? But so what, I love the results and it's something anyone can do cheaply.
What's weird is I'm in a NSW town on water restrictions. So we can't wash cars, either from a hose or a bucket. But we can still do the whole drive-through car wash thing - which seem to use a torrential amount of water. Not sure if it's 'recycled' or not. And even though I actually have a rainwater tank, everyone's been advised to dob anyone washing their car etc in to council. Lovely logic.
Apparently they do use recycled water usually, although I'm not really sure how often the water is recycled? They'd have to run it through filters and even then, do they wash 2 cars or 10 with that water? You'd think it'd still have to be pulling a certain amount of freshwater from the water supply.
@@bigsohc im the same and so are my neighbours. im lucky enough to have backyard access as well so can hide the fact a bit (or just claim im watering the grass on "my" watering day)
I agree. I honestly think you could do it probly cheaper than this and get better results if you actually know what your doing. So much of this was a no no.
I hate to be THAT GUY but... Few things: -Avoid using a sponge as you will just do more damage. Some kind of Microfibre mit is the best option. - Use two buckets, one for soap one for rinse - Don't throw the microfibre towels on the ground as you will just end up picking tiny dirt particles that you will never be able to take off and just end up scratching the car. - It's important to understand that the claybar is an abrasive and should only be used if your car absolutely needs it. It's not something that you should do with everywash. When you run your hands on the paint if it feels rough than that is a good indication that it needs a claybar, if not don't bother with it. - That drill method seems pretty sketchy, you could quite easily scratch the paint if you are not careful. I'd personally just use a hand applicator.
The sponge I have has a microfibre cloth finish... also I also usually don't bother with the two bucket method unless the car is super dirty. I understand it's better but it's also more time consuming and frustrating.
good sealant that lasts a good six months on outside daily driver is nu finish once a year car polish. cheap too. apply as directed and can be used in the sun
@@MotoringBoxTV Heard only good things about the one you used. Non budget meguiars fast finish is brilliant and also very easy to use. Nu Finish I think is King of budget and believe it or not, hair conditioner, also works well on dash etc instead of armorall
MotoringBox Turtle Wax used to have a cheap shit stigma about it. Turtle Wax Seal n Shine is amazing for the price and out performs more expensive sealants. Watch some RU-vid reviews and see for yourself
@@MotoringBoxTV Me too but if you wait and get it on special maybe? You'll be pleasantly surprised. Here's a thought, get in touch with Bowdens and tell them you want to do a review. Loving the quality of the video production in your videos btw.
Careful with cheap wheel brushes. I bought a turtle wax one a few years back and it scratched my wheels bad. I use a whole bunch of different brushes nowadays for my wheels.
@@LukeWham swissvax lug nut brush, daytona ez speed master, vican brushes. Waxit.com.au is one of my go to websites. I'm lucky in that I have style 66 BMW wheels, not the hardest to clean.
Probably a good service history, clean body and a car that drives well on the road. I always take a good torch so I can look around the engine bay for any oil leaks, plus even small things like all four tyres being the same brand / type gives you an indication that someone wasn't being cheap with maintenance.
@@MotoringBoxTV I did take to dealer with idea of trading. They said would have to take to panel shop to get quote, pity rest of it is like new. I tend to think is due to high UV in Australia.
Perhaps - it is just a generic 'soft' polishing cone and in my opinion it works perfectly on paint. I also bought a 'ball' style one and from memory they were around $7 - 10 each.
Use the cone anywhere you want. I use mine to polish my headlights when required. Better than a ball there as the cone tip is more precise in the corners.
@@MotoringBoxTV you can buy a flat round pad for the bonnet and panels so on not as good as a da or orbital but will do the trick better than the cone but each to their own or just do it old school by hand I find it does the best job for waxing at least
It looks mint mate. I gotta do the same for my statesman but gotta get a new paint job first because it's completely fucked. I'll follow your method and hopefully get the same results :D
Good job. You could start a detailing business with results like that. How does the Holden run? Does it have good economy, I've heard those 3.8 engines are bulletproof.
My VT series 2 2000 model has white paint and it is oxidizing I believe is the term for it. Would the clay bar work on that or do I skip this part and just go to a buff stage to try to bring the paint back to condition?
It sounds like the clear coat is shot... in my experience buffing will help bring back the shine temporarily, but only a proper respray is going to fix it long term.
I had that Maguires Wet Look before and must get some again when I've used up what I've gotten since, which doesn't last as long as the Maguires product. I'm sorry but those alloys are very conservative, like something off a Toyota Camry -no actually theirs aren't too bad compared to this.
I'd never call the wheels conservative as they do look quite large on the car and with a fair bit of 'bling' factor about them. But then again I am definitely drawn to more solid wheel designs instead of multi-spoke arrangements.
@@MotoringBoxTV maybe the design is just an acquired taste, much like my Fairlane alloys. They are the polished aluminium look which is a big plus, and lots of it. A dieing breed which really makes a luxury car pop.
Depends purely on the maintenance history I guess. Plenty of parts are approaching end of life at that point if they've never been replaced. I am not sure about Commodores, but Falcon gearboxes are pretty famous for being on borrowed time after 250k. Again, depends on whether they've been maintained or not.
New friend here and I ring your bell this is a fantastic video and yes you are so right you need too take very good care of everything so awsome video great information thanks, I saw it till the end hope you come over to my place so we connecting ✌❤from Wildeys
I usually don't like to cut and polish if I don't see anything majorly wrong with the paint... it makes me nervous as I feel the clear coat on these cars are thin enough already!
@@MotoringBoxTV haha fair enough, the cut and polish however doesn't take much of the clear coat layer off (; it would take many many cuts and polishes to break through the clear
It does feel like it sometimes! At least on a microscopic level it's probably more economical because a clean car would be more aerodynamic. Probably not enough of a gain to be measurable though!
Four hours! Here's some more time saving, instead of that old buff on the polish with the drill, stop and go buy some bowdens own lazy wax. Spray on, wipe, final wipe. Goes on any surface. I can do my whole car in the time you did that boot lid, well maybe that lid and the roof. Point is it's real fast.
Haha, sure I guess so. Both cars have been very reliable so far. If anything the AU is sometimes harder to start, it might be due for a bit of maintenance.
@@MotoringBoxTV just plan on a new engine for the commodore once it reaches 250,000k's they dont last much longer after that i have actually experienced it with friends & family commodores about 7 or 8 times, in fact i had to rescue my sister from the side of the road because her 250k VT seized & a mate from a McDonalds when his 260k VS seized in a drive through lol
@@CTN-dj7fr ehhhhhhh seriously? the EA had head gasket problems but i've never heard of a straight 6 Ford seizing E V E R, in the entire history of the straight 6
@@GTFORDMAN Exactly, they have head gasket problems, I didn't mean seizing in particular. In my experience they tend to be on their way out by around 300,000 kilometres. The V-8 is reliable luckily, thanks to it being an American engine from the golden age of the US industry. Often the rest of the car pretty much falls apart around the engine. I don't know what the Holden V-8 is like.
So you want him to copy another's personality for the sake of not swearing? I nearly spat out the proverbial coffee when this gentleman dropped the f bomb out of nowhere. It's not like he fills his sentences out with it like some some do.
